The House of Representatives has approved on third and final reading a measure that will protect individual personal data in information and communications systems in the government and in the private sector.
House Bill 4115 seeks to ensure that the personal information and communications system in government and in the private sectors are secure and protected.
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Under the measure to be known as the Data Privacy Act of 2011, the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) is tasked to administer and implement the provisions of the proposed act.
The Commission shall ensure at all times the confidentiality of any personal information that comes to its knowledge and possession.
Furthermore, the chairman of the commission and its commissioners, or any person acting on their behalf or under their direction, for anything done, reported or said in good faith in the performance of their duties, shall not be subject to criminal or civil proceedings.
Under the bill, all sensitive personal information maintained by the government shall be secured with the use of the most appropriate standards recognized by the ICT industry and as recommended by the Commission.
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Read more of the press release on Philippine Information Agency, a government web site.
DataGuidance.com summarizes some of the provisions of the bill:
The Commissioner on Information and Communications Technology (ICT) would … be able to impose fines of up to two million pesos (approx. €34,000) for unlawful disclosure of personal data, and up to four million pesos (approx. €68,000) for data breaches involving sensitive data. Billl 4115 defines sensitive data as a person’s race, ethnic origin, marital status, age, religious beliefs, and philosophical and political affiliations. Fines of up to five million pesos (approx. €85,000) could be imposed on public and private companies which fail to ensure appropriate safeguards for personal data are in place.
I wonder if they have a separate law that ensures privacy and nondisclosure of medical records.
Newsbytes also covers this news development, but so far, I haven’t found the text of the bill. Anyone have a link to it?